Maximizing Your GMAT Performance: Effective Test-Taking Techniques

Whether you have spent few days/weeks preparing for GMAT or you are just planning to start your preparation, a robust test-taking strategy will certainly help you improve your GMAT performance.

In this blog we will help you prepare the right strategy to attain a top score on GMAT. In a separate blog we will cover strategies focused on GMAT Verbal, GMAT Quant, GMAT IR, GMAT AWA.

Before we get into the details of preparation, let us first understand the way GMAT test is designed. It’s a computer adaptive test which means that as you get problems right the test will get harder and as you get problems wrong the test will become easier. More than focusing on getting all the problems right, you need to learn when to guess the problem and move to the next one. In GMAT, you can get 15-20 percent problems wrong and still manage to score from 730 to 750 (of course it depends on multiple factors).

The purpose of such an approach is that both test takers and business schools want to understand whether you can analyse data, prioritise, and manage complex pressure situations.

This mindset has to be developed and practiced during your mock tests and also during your practice sessions. GMAT consists of 4 sections i.e., Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA), Integrated Reasoning (IR), Quant, and Verbal. In this blog we will focus more on Quant & Verbal strategies.

Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA)

This section consists of one 30 minutes writing task. In this you will get an argument and you will have to analyse the underlying reasoning for each of them.

You might not have knowledge about essay topic and it’s perfectly fine as you will be assessed on your analytical writing. You must understand the argument and plan your response before finally writing it down. You will need examples and additional evidence to strengthen or refute the argument. Your response should sound like a discussion.

Integrated Reasoning (IR)

This section consists of 12 questions that need to be answered in 30 minutes. There are 4 types of questions: Multi-Source Reasoning, Table Analysis, Graphics Interpretation, and Two-Part Analysis. We will be covering this in a separate blog.

Quant

In this section there will be 31 questions that need to be answered in 62 minutes. That means 2 minutes per question. Two types of questions are asked in this section: Problem Solving and Data Sufficiency.

Verbal

In this section there will be 36 questions that need to be answered in 65 minutes. That means approximately less than 2 minutes per question. Three types of questions are asked in this section: Sentence Correction, Critical Reasoning, and Reading Comprehension.

One of my favourite things on GMAT is that we get to choose the section with which you want to start the exam. You can start with Verbal or Quant or AWA. While this is your personal preference, we all have sections that we want to attempt with maximum energy (for me it was verbal). So, if it was me, I would start Verbal. A good performance on Verbal section (which I have to analyse as I progress) would boost my confidence and energy for rest of the sections.

Tips & Tricks for Improving GMAT Performance

IR, Quant, and Verbal sections will generally start with an easy problem (in general) and then the problems will get harder as you get them right.  Once you get a problem wrong, the next question will become easier and so on. Thus, it is important to analyse whether the questions are getting harder or easier as you are progressing. In case the questions get harder and you get stuck on a question, try to solve it for max 2 minutes and if you don’t get the right answer then guess and move on.

Hence it becomes really important to take critical decisions (like top business executives do) during the test i.e., when to guess a problem and move on.

It’s easier said than done. You will have to practice this approach multiple times during your mock tests and even during your practice sessions before you ace it.

TIP : You should time your practice sessions. For example if you are practicing sentence correction (SC), try to practice 41 questions in 75 minutes (without taking a break). Similarly, if you are practicing quant, try to solve 37 questions in 75 minutes. Analyse your responses and ask yourself following questions:

1. You got the problem right in reasonable time – was it logic or luck?
2. You got the problem right but took too long – at what point did you get stuck, is there an easier way to solve the problem?
3. You fell for a trap or made a careless mistake – was it because you were running out of time or you casually overlooked? How can you rectify it in future sessions?
4. You were not sure of how to solve the problem – what do you need to study? In what way can I remember it while practicing next time?
5. You were running out of time and had to guess a series of problems: Did I spend too much time on a particular question(s)? Did I get it right/wrong? How do I ensure that I don’t spend more than 2 minutes on a question in any scenario?
6. You won’t be able to solve this problem even in actual test – how do you guess it and move on?

Thumb rule: If you have spent 2 minutes on a problem and don’t have an answer yet, just guess and move on! These strategies should help you prepare in the right direction and attain a top score.

Additionally, do remember that GMAC provides you two free mock tests. Ideally you should take one mock test before you start preparing and one when you are about to finish your preparation.